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Thursday, 30 June 2011

So the super lovely Bella at CheezyFeet books is having her blogoversary this week! Yay!! :D So to celebrate she decided to host a big old scavenger hunt for a very, very awesome prize! The scavenger hunt will be spread over 5 blogs:

Wednesday, 29 June 2011

The most popular girl in school is dead. Everyone thinks they know the score, but only Alice and her friends know what really happened to golden girl Tara. But Alice starts to doubt her own version of events when, haunted by visions of Tara, she realizes the truth is much, much darker. And she's the only one who wants to uncover it.

I can't wait for this book! The cover was just revealed yesterday and I LOVE. I love the colours, I love how the whole design is similar to Entangled (even though they're not a series), I love the title font, I love the girl, I love the blurb, and I loved Entangled. So I am greatly looking forward to this book! Shame we have to wait until JANUARY for it to come out though ;D

Tuesday, 28 June 2011

Okay, so I know I'm reallllly late posting this and you've all already seen it, but still, I like it and I wanna post it ;p Anyway, here it is! (If you haven't seen it yet, which is like statistically impossible... ;P)

So, what do you think? I like it more than the US cover, and I like the white. Not to sure about the illustration yet, but I think after reading the book I'll like it more. :D But the title is awesome! Font and all. And the tagline rocks. :D

Monday, 27 June 2011

First off, before I get down to my reviewy business, the winner of the Blood Magic giveaway is....

Ria O'Grady :D

Congrats Ria! I'll email you soon for your address :D

The Sky is Everywhere

Jandy Nelson

June 6th 2011 (UK ppb)

Walker Books (UK)

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

I loved this book. It was everything I wanted it to be and more. And I haven't read a book this beautiful in a while. It was just so brilliant, and it wasn't just beautiful, it was heart wrenching and heart warming and funny and romantic and just... Amazing.

I've always been a bit worried about reading this book, I'll admit, because I was worried I might have worked it up too much in my head, and that it might be a let down for me like it has been for some, but it just wasn't. I just couldn't stop reading. It's the sort of book that even when I'm done with it, I dream about it, I think about all the other possibilities, the characters and their future, you know?

I did find the first 50 or so pages a bit slow, and a bit confusing, but as soon as things started to click into place, I just got it. I got Lennie, because that's how I feel about my sister (she's not dead or anything, I just feel a bit like a companion pony too you know? ) And I got her grief. I got that realisation that they're not coming back, they don't have a future, that they're dead. But I couldn't feel like Bailey was dead. She was just so present in the book, you could feel her on the pages, pouring through from Lennie's memories and just pure love for her. And I know some people didn't like Lennie, that they thought she was pathetic or something, but I just couldn't see it. Her sister just died, and I can't even comprehend how close they were, how painful it must have been for her. And the way how she acted around both Toby and Joe was believable, because people do strange things when their grieving, and that intensity between 2 people who have lost the same person is there.

I loved Joe, I really, really did, until the first half of part 2. His behaviour was completely understandable and I get why he acted like that, and it ultimately helped Lennie, but still, couldn't he have gone about it a bit more sensitively? The girl was already hurting so much, he didn't have to go about what he did so tactlessly. He wouldn't even let her explain. And I know he's been hurt before, and he was right to do what he did, but still! He couldn't even imagine what Lennie was going through. He could've been a bit more gentle. But he made up for himself in the end. He's a good guy really, just a bit rash sometimes.

My favourite part of The Sky is Everywhere though was probably the poems. They were great! I mean, even I who generally just doesn't like poetry a whole lot (though I'm starting to), I just loved it. They were so beautiful to read, and so raw. They really helped me grasp Lennie and Bailey better, and I love the idea of just scattering them, letting it all go. It just all fit so well.

The Sky is Everywhere is a beautiful book that will probably make you laugh and cry, and swoon and sigh and it will make me you mad and angry and so happy and content at the end. Or at least that's what I felt reading it. Plus the poems are awesome, and the whole book is just stunning. 5 stars.

Friday, 24 June 2011

In the past two years, Mclean Sweet has moved four times. At each stop, she assumes a new persona, but it never quite works. Whether she's an effervescent cheerleader or an intense drama queen, nothing can permanently dispel the turmoil and rage at her mother since her parents' divorce.

Sarah Dessen's novel about a teenager and her restaurant manager father captures the vulnerability that young people often experience after the dissolution of their family. A compelling story; strong characterization; and with a touch of romance.

I love Sarah Dessen. I think this is a fact we've all learned from the past 5 SD reviews I've written, but I still feel the need to make sure you all know. I don't know, it's not like her books are fast-paced or exciting in that sense, they're just.. Lovely. And whenever I finish one I just feel so content, like at that minute, every thing is good. And WHTG was no different.

Mclean was a great character (as practically every Sarah Dessen character is,) and I loved the whole idea of just shedding your skin and who you were and just being a different person in every new town you move to, but at the same time, it was interesting to see the effect it'd had on her, and her sense of identity over time. It was really, really awesome to see Mclean become Mclean. And Dave was lovely too. I love Sarah Dessen's boys! They're so nice. And his parents were just a teensy bit overprotective, but it all worked out for the best in the end. Plus, I love Jason being in the book too! Aww, it was nice of him to have a bit of a happy ending too :)

I think the best character of this book, though, was undoubtedly Deb. I'd heard about her in a lot of reviews I've read, but I wasn't really sure what to expect. What I wasn't expecting was her though! She was ADORABLE. And awesome. She's a drummer, and Acronym-er, and enthusiastic, and lovely, and, just, she needs her own book. I really hope she gets her own book. She needs it :) I can't believe she didn't have friends! She's just, I don't know, amazing! ;)

Mclean's mum kind of annoyed me in the first half though. She genuinely seemed like she thought that the messy divorce wouldn't have any negative effect on her and Mclean's relationship at all. That just kind of annoyed me. It was really naive, and whenever she was getting upset about it? Ugh. But she got better, she started to understand Mclean a bit better.

A lot of the scenes at the restaurant really, really reminded me of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmare's. I freaking love that show! And I really liked Mcleans dad too, and all of the staff at Luna Blu! The model project was really cool too, I loved how it all related to the story, and that bit near the end with the model and Dave and Mclean? CUTEST THING EVAR. ;P

Sarah Dessen is awesome, yet again, and What Happened To Goodbye is cute, sweet and just a nice book to read. 4.5 stars :D

Wednesday, 22 June 2011

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy isbetter?

Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

This book looks like a really, really good contemp, an it has a beautiful cover! Can't wait for it! :D

Monday, 20 June 2011

Anna is dreading another tourist-filled summer on Dune Island that follows the same routine: beach, ice cream, friends, repeat. That is, until she locks eyes with Will, the gorgeous and sweet guy visiting from New York. Soon, her summer is filled with flirtatious fun as Anna falls head over heels in love.

But with every perfect afternoon, sweet kiss, and walk on the beach, Anna can’t ignore that the days are quickly growing shorter, and Will has to leave at the end of August. Anna’s never felt anything like this before, but when forever isn’t even a possibility, one summer doesn’t feel worth the promise of her heart breaking….

I like reading books about summer. Come, say, a year ago, this is not something I would ever have wanted to admit, but I just plain do. And Sixteenth Summer is no exception. It's a great summer book with just the right amount of carefree-summeryness, teen angst, and a bittersweet yet absolutely perfect ending.

Anna was a really great character. I liked that she was just a normal girl, and I loved her need for adventure and getting away from Dune Island. Plus her character development was great! I like how her yearning was still there at the end of the book, but she loved Dune Island a lot more at the end of it too, and she sort of gained a new respect for it after she'd seen it through new eyes over her summer with Will. And Will was wonderful too. He was so lovely, and while I did think their romance happened very quickly, that was kind of the point of it. But he was really sweet and considerate, and totally loved Anna. They were so great together!

Their relationship was portrayed brilliantly and realistically (I think) and I love how it flowed through different stages. Through their first dates when they were awkward and self-conscious to when they started to get more comfortable around each other and have fun together, and when they realised that they loved each other (and it wasn't all like, 'I hate this guy, *wakes up next morning* wait, actually, I kinda like this guy' like some books are, it was sort of a slow realisation, if you get me) and then they went through a bit of a rocky patch but they made it through! And then they enjoyed the time they had left and had fun and were happy and I just wanted to hug them both and slap them at the same time for being so lovey-dovey ;)

But I think the best thing about this book was the end. Because with most summer books, there is the end, and it is happy, and they're all 'yay, we're totally gonna go to college together' or something, but this one was different. The ending was solid, but uncertain, and it was all about the now. It was that they might never see each other again, or they might get married and have children and whatever, and it was that that didn't matter. The now was all that mattered. Their time together then without great plans for the future was what made the book for me.

Another thing I thought was so good was the whole ice cream thing they had going on. What I wouldn't give to have parents that run an ice cream shop that I'd get to, like, make flavours for and to actually know how to make ice cream. From scratch! I just thought that was cool :D

A great, snarky (I forgot to mention Anna's snark, but it's awesome) fun, summer read which is cute and realistic, plus Will might make you swoon. Just a little bit ;) 4 stars :D

Friday, 17 June 2011

Jessie's just arrived in New York, hoping to forget about her awful ex.

New Yorker Finn is in love with his best friend's girlfriend.

They might be perfect together, but in a city of eight million people, will they ever find each other?

Once again, Keris Stainton comes out with an awesome book! I loved her first, Della Says OMG, but Jessie really takes the cake. Though, as Raimy so well put it, it was like choosing between sisters (the characters) ;) It was just fabulous. And you could tell just from reading how much Keris loves New York. That was one of my favourite parts of the book! It just made me want to go there and walk down Broadway and Central Park and see Small Change (even though it isn't real..) and hopefully bump into a lovely bloke like Finn ;)

Jessie character Jessie was so lovely! And so excited to be in NY, and I'm sure I would be just the same! But she also had just the right amount of teen angst. There was a whole load of business going on with her mother and, all the parental issues were what really made the book for me. The blurb puts it across like it's just a romance, but it really is a lot more, plus the romance, adorable as it was, kicked in about at least halfway through the novel. Which was something I liked too. It gave us time to really get to know both of the characters and who they were and their problems before they did. And they were really good together! Finn was lovely too, and realistic.

I loved Emma as well! She was a great kid and a great friend to Jessie, providing a bit comedy too, and the whole Sam-Scott situation really helped to develop Finn's personality too. And I liked that there wasn't al happy endings everywhere. I mean, the ending was happy, but realistic too. It wasn't like in Disney where everyone is happy as can be. But it was a very fun, uplifting book. I smiled A LOT.

Jessie Hearts NYC is a cute, happy, awesome, very-very-shiny (seriously, the cover is AWESOME IRL) and just generally brilliant book that you should all try and get your hands on. Now. And Della Says. Like, serioulsy, you will not regret it. 5 stars :D

OSMUW is one seriously funny book. It had me laughing at practically every page, which is saying something. Books don't make me laugh a lot, but trust me, this one is HILARIOUS. I don't know if you guys have ever watched The Inbetweeners (if you haven't, GO NOW! Unless you're like, 12, or something.), but this really reminded me of it. Which is an awesome thing. The Inbetweeners is one of my favourite TV shows, and they weren't all that similar, but they have the same feel to them, and they're both laugh-your-arse-off hilarious.

So, OSMUW is the story of Sam Taylor, who for the sake of his English project (the book) has renamed himself Jack Samsonite. And it's basically his week. His crazy, shenanigan-filled, exciting, cringy, funny week. And not only is it funny, it's sweet, deep down inside ;p, and also had a twist that I did NOT see coming! Mr Clempson, that was gross... But it all ended up for the best!... Maybe... ;)

I really liked Jack. He was a complete change after reading Blood Magic, and he was so relatable! Well, apart from the whole gender gap thing, but still, I could relate to Jack a lot. He was just a normal kid, y'know. And he wasn't nice all the time or anything. He could be a bit of an arse sometimes, but not so much to make him unlikeable, just enough to make him normal ;)

One Seiriously Messed Up Week is hilarious, sweet, rude (seriously, a LOT of swearing in here, innuendo, whatnot). Plus if you don't read it, I will forever call you a gruff-nugget, and you will forever not understand. ;p 4 stars :D

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

A move to Ireland is about to introduce Megan to her destiny, her real destiny, can she embrace it and will she survive it?

A tragedy in Megan’s past set her on a predetermined course. A chain of events has been set in motion that brings Megan to Kinsale, a small town in the south of Ireland where her destiny awaits her. Her life starts to fall into place as she makes new friends and settles into her new school. However, the reclusive and distant Adam DeRís calls to her body and soul.

She finds herself increasingly drawn to Adam and his strange family. Adam knows a secret from her past and he and his family hold the key to her future. A future that binds her to Adam and his world, a world of power, mystery and ancient orders. A world that unbeknownst to her, she very much belongs in.

This book sounds amazing, and it looks amazing. Just, that cover. OMG, that cover. It's beautiful. It looks like there might be a little bit of insta-love hanging around in there, but still. It won't kill me ;p

Tuesday, 14 June 2011

Hey guys! So, I know I'm kinda late talking about this, but having read a few paranormals lately, it just really got me wanting to talk about it again. What's this it, you may be wondering (if you didn't read the title...)

Love at First Sight

Or insta-love, or 'The One', or even Bella Swan syndrome (which is kinda more of a Mary Sue thing, but you get the gist.) Now, to get things clear, I'm not talking about things like this in real life. I'm sure they can happen, and that they're all very happy together and whatever, but I'm talking about this in the context of YA fiction. I don't mean this as a rant or anything, it's just something I wanted to discuss. Also, feel free to dismiss anything I say as I AM only a 14 year old girl who has zero experience with with actual bf/gf relationships. But. I AM also entitled to my opinion, so, y'know ;)

Anyway, I like paranormals. I like characters and the stories and the creatures, but last year, it was literally all I read. And I didn't see anything wrong with that (well, there isn't) but I also didn't see anything wrong in the relationships these characters were having with each other. Being a naive 13 year old, I kind just thought that was how it worked sometimes. And then I started to read contemporaries (which before blogging I wouldn't have touched with a bargepole because they were too 'girly'. You can laugh.) Reading these contemps, I was kind of surprised. I mean, get this. The girls, well, they weren't perfect, and they weren't Mary Sues. And the boys? Well, neither were they, and they weren't trying to kill the girl they fancied. And then, this is where the REAL shock set in, they actually, like, got to KNOW each other before they started kissing! I know right. I totally just heard your jaws drop open.

Okay, so I was being a little bit sarcastic there, but you get the point. Reading all of these tales of epic undying loves had distorted my vision a bit, and I don't even know how! I HATE Romeo and Juliet with a passion (no offence Shakespeare, I'm more a Beatrice and Benedick girl) so I don't even know how I started loving these books, but I just kind of do. Except for Twilight. That's pushing it. (Again, no offence, but sparkly vampires just don't do it for me.)

Getting away from the point again... (sorry I'm a bit distracted.. ;P) But I think that what reading a large volume of these kind of books does, when you're young and impressionable like I was (and still am, I guess, about these kind of things) is that they sort of blur the line between lust and love. And I know I'm a bit young to be talking about these things, but now when I paranormal, I don't see love. I see a boy and a girl who are strangers and have just made eye contact and want to get into each others pants. I see an incredibly unhealthy relationship brewing, one that has no actual basis apart from the fact that they kiss a lot, and they 'need' each other. And I'm not so silly to think that relationships built upon need are good ones.

Now, I know it's only fiction, and I know now that I shouldn't really take it all seriously, and I know it's just for fun, and I don't think it shouldn't happen! But, sometimes it can distort peoples vision of love and lust, and sometimes, they're just so unrealistically sappy for each other that I just want to slap 'em both and tell them to get some balls. But I think you get my point. Maybe. Hopefully. Man, I'm not even sure if I get it...

But, if you could make some semblance of sense in my nonsensy post, what do you think about it? (not the post, the whole insta-love and the effect it can have on silly people like myself...) ;)

Sunday, 12 June 2011

For Nick Pardee and Silla Kennicot, the cemetery is the center of everything.Nick is a city boy angry at being forced to move back to the nowhere town of Yaleylah, Missouri where he grew up. He can’t help remembering his mom and the blood magic she practiced – memories he’s tried for five years to escape. Silla, though, doesn’t want to forget; her parents’ apparent murder-suicide left her numb and needing answers. When a book of magic spells in her dad’s handwriting appears on her doorstep, she sees her chance to unravel the mystery of their deaths.Together they plunge into the world of dark magic, but when a hundred-year-old blood witch comes hunting for the bones of Silla’s parents and the spell book, Nick and Silla will have to let go of everything they believe about who they are, the nature of life and death, and the deadly secrets that hide in blood.

I really, really enjoyed Blood Magic. It was really different from what I expected, especially as it's been compared to books like Twilight and Need, and generally publicised as that sort of thing. Now, as you guys probably know by now, I'm not a huge Twilight fan. They just kinda annoy me, if I'm honest, so I was a little apprehensive about Blood Magic. But I was wrong to be. It was a really unique paranormal, and while I did find the relationship between Silla and Nick to be a little bit unrealistic (then again, that's not really what I expect from paranormals...) the plot was really great and carefully done and the writing was brilliant.

Blood Magic is a very careful intertwining of three people's stories, through two different time periods, and it's very well done. The plot kept me hooked all throughout, even if there were some scenes (that rabbit...) that were a little bit bloody and gory and off putting. But it's called Blood Magic! If I wasn't expecting blood, I'd be an idiot. And while I did really love the plot, I'm not gonna talk about. No spoiling over here! But I must, you don't know how proud I was when I figured out the bad guy ;) It was totally one of those ultimate-self-satisfaction moments. For those few pages, I felt like the cleverest person ever.

But anyway, characters. I must say, straight out, I didn't like Silla that much. She wasn't a bad character or anything, and she had a perfectly good reason for being how she is, I mean, what with her coming home to her parents dead one day. She was a little bit messed up. It's just that I didn't really feel that sympathy for her, y'know? She definitely develops as a character through the book, but I think it's how she was around Nick that kind of annoyed me. She was kind of dependent around him, and there wasn't really much of a relationship there, to be honest. It was more just like 'hey there new boy/girl you're pretty handsome/pretty let's kiss and then go cut ourselves to do dangerous magic and kiss some more' you know. There wasn't a while lot of getting to know each other, IMO. (I didn't mean that to sound rude or anything. That's just kind of how I think a lot of paranormal relationships tend to go. I really need to write a post about insta-love...)

I did like Nick though. And not fancy him-like him. I just liked him. He was likeable, and I think I preferred his chapters to Silla's, even though when Silla was around all he really did was stare at her and kiss her and stare at her... But I just liked him more than Silla! I think my favourite character though was Josephine. I knew from the first chapter that she was going to be a great bad guy. She wasn't likeable at all! She was just kind of nuts and kind of desperate, but I think she was a great antagonist. She had a good motivation for doing what she did, and I really enjoyed learning about her past and her character, and how the magic had changed her. They were probably some of my favourite parts of the book.

Blood Magic is a brilliantly written debut novel, that has a great plot and good characters, and is a whole different kind of paranormal (in that there aren't actually any paranormal creatures in it. Which I liked :D) 4 stars.

And now the part that you probably actually wanted to get to! The publishers have very kindly offered me a finished copy of Blood Magic to give to you guys! Sorry, but it's UK only (publisher rules). Ends on June 27th :D

Thursday, 9 June 2011

So, I probably could've given this post a better name, but alliteration is awesome. So whatever ;) But look! I'm on a blog tour! How cool is that! :) And seeing as I do like to fangirl about bookish boys quite often, I thought I'd ask Lauren to do the same! Who doesn't love fictional boys! Plus Lauren's kind of an expert at writing them (I love all the boys in her books, though I must say I'm more Cam-inclined ;p) Any way, without further ado! :D

Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind. I love how contentious Rhett’s relationship with Scarlett is, and it’s only that way because Rhett knows her better than anyone else in the world—including Scarlett, herself. In my history as a reader, this was the original tortured love story. Luce and Daniel’s dynamic at the beginning of this series is probably inspired in some ways by Scarlet and Rhett’s.

Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is no hero, but I love this book and his role in it. He’s one of the most fascinating characters ever written because he has shaped his life around one thwarted love. Everything rides on Gatsby’s love for Daisy…and that love is utterly impossible. It screws his life and the story up in the most remarkable way.

Peeta from The Hunger Games. Usually I’m drawn to the aloof, diffident bad boy in book—hello, Cam!--and Peeta is endlessly good and sweet. But he charmed me. He came alive through his devotion to Katniss and I was rooting for him throughout the series.

Mikey from You Against Me. Jenny Downham is amazing. She delivers a 360 degree view of this very honest, very likeable boy in a tricky situation. The plot structure in this boos thrusts the characters into constant, shifting opposition with one another. Because of that, Mikey is fully developed to an extent not often seen in YA love stories. We see all his flaws and all his strengths. He’s so impressively real; I fell for him.

Thanks so much Lauren! I think we all agree Peeta is such a sweetie, and I certainly fell for him more than Gale, and Mikey sounds brilliant. I love Jenny Downham!

Stop by the lovely Emma Maree tomorrow for the Lauren's next tour stop!

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.Elisa is the chosen one.But she is also the younger of two princesses, the one who has never done anything remarkable. She can’t see how she ever will.Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies seething with dark magic are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’s savior. And he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.Most of the chosen do.

Guys, how cool does this sound?! It looks so great! Th0ugh I will admit, the first line just made me think BUFFY! ;P And the cover is absolutely stunning! Very excited for this one :D

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where bloggers make lists about books and other suitably bookish things. This week we're talking about those settings in books that we would just love to be real!

1. Hogwarts. I think this kind of goes without saying. Who DOESN'T want to go to the best school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, like, ever?! It's possibly the most awesome place ever.

2. Cousin's Beach from the Summer series. What I wouldn't give to go to Cousin's Beach. Seriously, this is coming from someone who hates beaches, but if there's boys like Conrad and Jeremiah hanging around ;) Joking, I'm not that superficial. I would love to go to Cousin's though.

3. Wherever all the Sarah Dessen books are set. Seriously, where the hell are they set?! I wish I knew. It sounds great. And it also sounds like practically every boy (bar Will Rich) there is so awesome! And all the girls too! It just sounds like such a great place...

4. Hecate Hall from Hex Hall. Yeah, I know, it's another wizardy school, but this is a wizardy school for all the magical misfits and it just seems like so much fun! Plus I think me and Sophie would get on like a house on fire. ;)

5. The Dauntless hub from Divergent. So this might look to be an odd choice, but I would kind of love to be there. I'd love to see how brave I could become just by being in such an environment, and also, I just had to put somewhere from Divergent in here!

6. Eastport from Clarity. Another beach town... But it seems like a cool place! Plus I love the world, and it sounds pretty beautiful with all the Victorian houses.

7. Idris from The Mortal Instruments. Again, another magical place. But it just seems awesome! I'd love to live in a fantasy world. They just seem so great...

Monday, 6 June 2011

Sixteen-year-old Deirdre Monaghan is a painfully shy but prodigiously gifted musician. She's about to find out she's also a cloverhand—one who can see faeries. Deirdre finds herself infatuated with a mysterious boy who enters her ordinary suburban life, seemingly out of thin air. Trouble is, the enigmatic and gorgeous Luke turns out to be a gallowglass—a soulless faerie assassin. An equally hunky—and equally dangerous—dark faerie soldier named Aodhan is also stalking Deirdre. Sworn enemies, Luke and Aodhan each have a deadly assignment from the Faerie Queen. Namely, kill Deirdre before her music captures the attention of the Fae and threatens the Queen's sovereignty. Caught in the crossfire with Deirdre is James, her wisecracking but loyal best friend. Deirdre had been wishing her life weren't so dull, but getting trapped in the middle of a centuries-old faerie war isn't exactly what she had in mind . . .

I enjoyed Lament a lot more than I thought I would. I thought I would like it less than Shiver (seeing as it's her first novel) but to be completely honest, I think I liked it a teeny tiny bit more than Shiver. I liked just being inside one characters head, and I really loved Deirdre! She was kind of spunky, yet vulnerable too, and that was good, and I liked how she reacted to her relationship with Luke. That she couldn't help it (and that annoyed me a bit...) but that she understood how improbable and silly it should be, if you get me. Because the whole paranormal-insta-love thing does get on my nerves a wee bit. But, I do like faeries.

Luke. I really liked Luke too, though he did get on my nerves a little bit. At first, he was a wee bit creepy, but that's something I've come to expect from paranormals these days, and then he sort of went from a little bit creepy to really kinda sappy. But, I did really like is backstory, and learning about his involvement with the faerie queen, and it was all very interesting :) And I loved Granna! For the short time she was in the book, I really liked her. She wasn't funny or anything, but I liked her calmness in the face of danger. That was cool.

And my favourite character was undoubtedly James! He was so lovely, and funny, and he really cared about Deirdre! I really want to read Ballad because it's about him. He's just so loveable :D

I really liked the faeries too. The whole plot I really enjoyed, and especially that end bit. I'd thought the faeries weren't that bad, that vicious until that scene. But Aodhan was a right piece of work! Bleurgh. Creepy little guy... But I DID love Brendan and Una. Hated Aunt Delia though. And I'm still not sure what her deal is... Either way, she just isn't very nice...

I think the think I liked most about Lament though, is the ending. It was really well done, and I liked that it wasn't essentially happy. Sometimes that's a good thing, you know. And I think it was for the best. Either way, it wasn't a typical ending.

Lament is a great faery book that I think any fan of paranormals, or Maggie, will really, really enjoy! 4 stars :D